Collapsible umbrella



H. WEBER COLLAP S I BLE UMBRELLA A ril 22, 1969 Sheet of2 Filed April27, 1967 u Fig.2

Fig. 1

April 22, 1969 H.-WEBER COLLAPSIBLE UMBRELLA Sheet Filed April 27, 1967United States Patent Int. Cl. A45b 19/06 US. Cl. 135-26 4 ClaimsABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Collapsible umbrella has a stick, a system ofroof-supporting ribs each consisting of an upper rib portion pivotallyconnected to the normally upper end of the stick and at least anotherrib portion telescoping the upper rib portion, an auxiliary runner 0rslider displaceable alon the stick, the auxiliary runner having an innersurface, a plurality of struts, each of which is pivotally linked withthe runner and with one of the roof-supporting ribs, either theauxiliary runner or stick or both being formed of elastically yieldablematerial, and means tending to oppose the sliding of the runner alongthe stick as the umbrella is being opened comprising a lug extendingaxially along the inner surface of the auxiliary runner and frictionallyabutting the stick in an initial phase of the sliding of the auxiliaryrunner when opening the umbrella roof and being received in alongitudinal groove formed in the stick in a succeeding phase of thesliding of the auxiliary runner, whereby the lug is spaced from thestick so that it is no longer in frictional engagement therewith.

My invention relates to a collapsible umbrella whose frame can beshortened by telescoping so that the umbrella when completely collapsedis small enough to be carried in a brief bag or ladys pocketbook, forexample. More specifically, my invention relates to a collapsibleumbrella comprised of a stick, a system of roof-supporting ribs eachconsisting of an upper rib portion pivotally connected to the normallyupper end of the stick and at least another rib portion telescoping theupper rib portion, an auxiliary runner or slider displaceable along thestick, and a plurality of struts, each of which is pivotally linked withthe runner and with one of the roof-supporting ribs. Such umbrellas aredescribed, for example, in Patent No. 2,165,967.

This well-proven type of construction unfortunately has the undesirablefeature that when the umbrella is to be opened, the roof-supporting ribsoccasionally slide together or telescope'instead of swinging away fromthe stick so that the umbrella fails to open. To correct this defect,various improvements have been suggested. One suggested improvementconsists of providing a device which tends to oppose the sliding of theauxiliary runner at the beginning of the umbrella-opening operation bymeans of friction. Such a device is described, for example in theaforementioned Patent No. 2,165,967. In this patent, the umbrella isprovided with a spring mounted in the stick which extends radiallyoutwardly through a wall of the stick at a location within the auxiliaryrunner or in the region between the auxiliary runner and the crown atthe upper end of the umbrella when the umbrella is closed but not yetshortened by telescoping.

3,439,691 Patented Apr. 22, 1969 "ice It has been found to be everydiflicult to provide a spring within the stick when constructing anumbrella such as is disclosed in the aforementioned patent. Thefrictional surface with which such a spring abuts the inner surface ofthe auxiliary runner is very limited due to its structure, so that thestopping action thereof is insuflicient.

It is accordingly an object of my invention to provide collapsibleumbrella which avoids both of the aforementioned defects, and which moreparticularly permits the roof-supporting ribs to swing away from thestick without sliding together or telescoping and Which improves thechecking action opposing the sliding of the auxiliary runner at thestart of the umbrella-opening operation.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, I accordingly provide acollapsible umbrella of the foregoing type with means opposing thesliding of the auxiliary runner by friction at the beginning of theumbrella-opening operation, the auxiliary runner or the stick or both,but preferably the auxiliary runner, being formed of elasticallyyieldable material, and an elongated lug disposed along the interiorsurface of the auxiliary runner and extending in the axial directionthereof. In the initial phase of sliding of the runner during theumbrella-opening operation, the lug frictionally engages the stick, andin a succeeding phase of the sliding of the runner along the stick inthe umbrella-opening operation, the lug is received in an elongatetdgroove formed in the stick wall so that the lug is spaced from the stickwall and is brought out of frictional engagement therewith.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment of my invention the elasticityof the abutting auxiliary runner and stick necessary to produce thefrictional contact therebetween, as aforementioned, resides primarily inthe auxiliary runner which is formed of a plastic material withrelatively small moduus of elasticity for this purpose, whereas thestick has the conventional metal tubular construction having arelatively high modulus of elasticity.

Other features which are considered as characteristic for the inventionare set forth in the appended claims.

Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodiedin collapsible umbrella, it is nevertheless not intended to be limitedto the details shown, since various modifications and structural changesmay be made therein without departing from the spirit of the inventionand within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims.

The construction and method of operation of the invention, however,together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be bestunderstood from the following description of a specific embodiment whenread in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGS. 1 and 2 are longitudinal views of part of a collapsible umbrellaconstructed in accordance with the invention in respective collapsed andpartly extended condition;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to that of FIG. 1 of the collapsible umbrellaof my invention shown in shortened or telescoped condition;

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of a fragment of my collapsibleumbrella showing the auxiliary slider and associated struts in thepartly closed but yet unshortened state of the umbrella as shown in FIG.2;

FIG. is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 4 taken along the line VV in thedirection of the arrows; and

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 4 taken along the line VIVI inthe direction of the arrows.

Referring now to the drawing and first particularly to FIGS. 1 and 3thereof, there is shown a conventional umbrella stick consisting of twotelescoping portions 1 and 2. The stick portion 1 carries an umbrellacrown 3 at the top thereof, as viewed in FIGS. 1 to 3. At the bottom endof the stick portion 2, an umbrella handle 4 is secured for holding theumbrella. The means provided for mutually interlocking the portions 1and 2 of the stick when in use as shown in FIG. 1 are not illustrated inthe drawing since they are well known in the art.

Each rib of the umbrella consists of two telescoping portions, a hollowportion 5 pivotally connected to the umbrella crown 3 at the upper endthereof, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, and a portion 6 of mostly solidconstruction. The portion 6 which forms the free end of each of the ribsis slideable telescopically into the hollow portion 5 which is connectedto the crown 3. A sleeve 7 is slidingly mounted on the outside of thehollow rib portion 5 and is connected in a conventional manner with theupper end of the solid rib portion 6, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, by ahinge pin 8. The pin 8 serves simultaneously for articulatinglyconnecting the rib portion 6 to a main strut 9. All of the main strutsare pivotally connected with a main runner or slider 11 at 10, the mainrunner 11 being lockable in the vicinity of the handle 4 when theumbrella is closed and in the vicinity of the crown 3 on the stick 1, 2when the umbrella is open. Roofing material (not shown) such as fabric,plastic sheet or the like is attached at the umbrella crown 3 and to thefree ends of the rib portions 6. The means necessary for locking themain runner in the aforementioned positions and for attaching theroofing material to the umbrella are generally known and are accordinglynot illustrated in the drawings. Auxiliary struts 12, which serve tosupport the open umbrella roof, are pivotally connected at the location13 to respective main struts 9 and are all secured at their upper endsby a pivot 14 as shown in FIG. 2, for example, to an auxiliary runner orslider 15.

If an umbrella of this type is to be extended or opened, the main runner11 is released from its lower rest position, as shown in FIG. 1, andmoved by hand along the umbrella stick .1, 2 toward the crown 3. It ispossible that when this is done, the umbrella roof will not be extendedor opened because the umbrella rib portions 5 and 6 may slide togetheror telescope due to force exerted by the main struts 8 through thesleeve 7. The hereinafter described features of my invention areprovided for the purpose of avoiding this problem.

The hollow stick portion 1 is formed with a longitudinal groove 16,which does not however extend over the entire length of the stickportion 1. as viewed in the direction toward the umbrella handle, butrather ends at a location 17 which, as shown in FIG. 4, lies inside theauxiliary runner when the umbrella is closed. The auxiliary runner 15has a downwardly extending, sleevelike projection 18 formed with anelongated lug or rib 19 extending on the inner surface and in the axialdirection thereof, which cooperates with the groove 16. The lug 19 isdiametrically spaced a distance a from the inner surface of the wall ofthe sleeve 18 located opposite thereto. The spacing a. is so chosen thatit is slightly less than the outer diameter D of the stick portion 1, sothat the lug 19 abuts the outer surface of the stick with a specificforce when it is located in the position shown in FIG. 4 wherein theumbrella is substantially closed. This force produces friction when theauxiliary runner 15 is moved along the stick portion 1, or in otherwords produces a resisting force which tends to act opposite to themovement of the auxiliary runner along the stick.

If the umbrella should be opened under unfavorable conditions, such asunder conditions wherein the fabric covering has become heavy by havingbeen wetted by rain, or due to hurried actuation and undesirablealignment or extension of the stick axis, the danger arises, asaforementioned, that the individual roof-supporting rib portions 5, 6may slide together or telescope without opening the umbrella andextending the roof covering thereof. The friction between the wall ofthe stick and the lug 19 reacts so as to tend to check the movement ofthe auxiliary runner so that the roof is extended or opens neverthelessat the thus nearly fixed pivot points 14 under the action of themovement of the main runner 11 directed toward the crown 3 of theumbrella.

The frictional resistance between the lug 19 and the outer surface ofthe stick portion 1 is effective over a distance b of the auxiliaryrunner path along the stick, which is by no means insignificant. Onlywhen the auxiliary runner has traversed the distance b, does the lug 19extend with its entire axial length along the groove 16 and is thereforeable to slip into the groove so that the frictional engagement thereofwith the stick is interrupted. As the umbrella roof is further extended,the frictional resistance does not therefore have to be overcome anymore. Sliding of the auxiliary runner is similarly checked or restrainedwhen the umbrella is being closed, the frictional resistance beinginitially encountered when the umbrella is nearly closed and the roofcovering almost completely folded.

The auxiliary runner 15 expediently consists of a plastic material whichis elastically deformable within limits, yet whose modulus of elasticityis nevertheless considerably smaller than that of the metal employed forthe tubular stick of the umbrella. The elastic deformation necessary forproducing the frictional resistance between the lug 19 and the outersurface of the stick portion 1 consequently is almost completelyprovided by the auxiliary runner 15.

The collapsible umbrella constructed in accordance with my inventiondoes not require any friction-producing structural parts that have to belocated in the interior of the stick, thereby permitting the spacewithin the stick to be employed for installation of other structuralelements. Moreover, the collapsible umbrella constructed in accordancewith my invention, affords the possibility of optionally predeterminingthe amount of friction and the duration of its action by suitablydimensioning the auxiliary runner length and therewith the length of thelug producing the friction.

I claim:

1. Collapsible umbrella comprising a stick member formed with alongitudinal groove along part of its length, a system ofroof-supporting ribs, each consisting of an upper rib portion pivotallyconnected to the normally upper end of the stick and at least anotherrib portion telescoping within said upper rib portion, a main runnerdisplaceable along said stick member, a plurality of main struts, eachof which is pivotally linked with said main runner and with one of saidroof-supporting ribs, an auxiliary runner member also displaceable alongsaid stick member, said auxiliary runner member having an inner surface,a plurality of auxiliary struts, each of which is pivotally linked withsaid auxiliary runner member and with one of said main struts, one ofsaid members being formed of elastically yieldable material, and meanstending to oppose sliding of said auxiliary runner member along thestick as the umbrella is being opened, comprising a lug extendingaxially along said inner surface of said auxiliary runner member andfrictionally abutting said stick member along a portion thereof in aninitial phase of the sliding of said auxiliary runner member when theumbrella is being opened, and being received in said longitudinal groovein a succeeding phase of the sliding of said auxiliary runner member,whereby said lug is spaced from said stick member and is no longer infrictional engagement therewith.

2. Collapsible umbrella according to claim 1, wherein said auxiliaryrunner member has an elongated sleeve-like projection, said lug beinglocated on the inner surface of said projection.

3. Collapsible umbrella according to claim 1, wherein said stick memberis made of metal and said auxiliary runner member consists of elasticitydeformable plastic material having a modulus of elasticity considerablysmaller than the modulus of elasticity of the metal of said stickmember.

4. Collapsible umbrella according to claim 1, wherein said stick memberis formed of metal, and said auxiliary runner member has an elongatedsleeve-like projection formed of elastically deformable plastic materialand provided with a lug integral therewith and projecting from the innersurface thereof, said plastic material having a modulus of elasticityconsiderably smaller than the modulus of elasticity of said metal.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,124,842 7/1938 Zierold et al.135-26 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,224,453 9/ 1966 Germany.

PETER M. CAUN, Primary Examiner.

